FDA finds plenty of salmonella in cucumbers

With help from Cogan Schneier, Jason Huffman, Jenny Hopkinson and Catherine Boudreau

FDA FINDS PLENTY OF SALMONELLA IN CUCUMBERS: The FDA on Tuesday shared some concerning news buried in an update on a long-running and deadly salmonella outbreak tied to cucumbers: The agency recently tested cucumbers at the retail level and found “a high level of contamination.”

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FDA did the testing to try to figure out why people were still getting sick months after the agency recalled cucumbers imported from Mexico, a move that should have stopped the illnesses. Officials were looking at whether the contaminated cucumbers that were recalled might have cross-contaminated the distribution chain, which could explain the continued illnesses.

“When the FDA tested cucumbers from several retail locations, many samples showed the presence of the outbreak strain,” the agency said, without giving further details. “The results indicated a high level of contamination in these cucumbers, which could increase the likelihood of cross-contamination of shipping containers or other food contact surfaces.”

The agency notes that its investigation was inconclusive — as in we still don’t know what went wrong in an outbreak that sickened 904 people and killed six across 40 states. The good news is that officials said that as of March 18, the outbreak is over. Find the update, which received almost no media attention, here.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23! Welcome to Morning Ag, where your host is betting more than 3 percent of you, dear MA readers, have healthy habits — right? Vox explains what the data says about our health habits in this country. You know the deal: Thoughts, news, tips? Send them to: hbottemiller@politico.com or @hbottemiller. Follow the whole team @Morning_Ag.

OBAMA ADMIN TRIES TO SAVE DOLPHIN-SAFE TUNA, AGAIN: Don’t give up on “dolphin safe” tuna just yet. On Tuesday, the Obama administration launched a new bid to save the labeling after a string of losses at the World Trade Organization that could allow Mexico to slap retaliatory duties on hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. exports later this year, Pro Trade’s Doug Palmer reports.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an interim final rule that the administration says will bring the United States into compliance with its WTO obligations without changing requirements that make it difficult for Mexico's tuna fishing industry to qualify for the dolphin-safe label. "Instead, this rule elevates requirements for tuna products from every other region of the world," U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a statement. Pros can read the full story here.

CUBA ON THE MIND: Agriculture groups are hopeful Cuba won’t fall out of the spotlight now that President Barack Obama has left. Doug Keesling, a Kansas farmer and member of both the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba and the Kansas Wheat Commission, was in Cuba this week and tells MA that it seems like momentum is on the side of lifting the embargo and opening up the island nation to American agricultural products.

“I’m seeing a change,” Keesling told MA from Havana late Tuesday, adding that the city is filled with symbols of peace, down to the release of doves at the start of a baseball game Tuesday between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team.

While he has been to Cuba several times, he said, “This time particularly there is a lot of emotion and excitement in the air. There is hope.” Cubans lined the streets, cheering for the president at every stop during his three-day visit, he said.

“This is the trip that I think tipped the scale on U.S.-Cuba relations,” said Devry Boughner Vorwerk, chairwoman of the USACC and a senior policy adviser at Akin Gump. “I do believe we are getting closer to the end of the embargo. ... It’s brought the broader relationship to the surface, so it’s on the mind of the general population that the time has come.”

SURVEY: VOTERS UNEASY ABOUT FOREIGN OWNERSHIP OF FOOD SUPPLY: A new survey by the American Security Project found that the vast majority of likely voters think that the federal government should closely scrutinize Chinese acquisitions if they involve the U.S. food supply. More than 1,000 respondents were asked about a scenario in which “a Chinese company buying or investing in a U.S. agricultural company or a global company that supplies a significant percentage of the U.S. food supply” and 93 percent said the feds should “scrutinize these transactions more carefully to ensure U.S. food safety as part of the regulatory review process.” The survey comes, of course, as China National Chemical Corp., or ChemChina, moves to acquire pesticide giant Syngenta.

The survey also found that 86 percent of likely voters think that food safety and food security should be considered national security issues. More on the survey is here.

PEEPS ON THE HILL: Members of Congress and their staff are being treated to Peeps today. The National Confectioners Association is delivering the fluffy marshmallow treats to offices as well as handing out Easter treats at Capitol South Metro this morning. It’s all part of NCA’s campaign to tout the economic benefits of the candy biz. For stats on how consumers like their chocolate eggs — ganache filled or hollow? — see stats from NCA here.

SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWERS GMO-LABELING COMPANIES WITH PRAISE: Kellogg’s has joined the growing list of companies that are moving ahead with labeling all of their products nationally in preparation for the law in Vermont going into effect. While the company echoed General Mills in calling for Congress to act, pro-labeling groups wasted no time expressing their support for the move. The Twitterverse has been lighting up to praise the four big companies that have made labeling announcements in recent days.

Even food industry-nemesis Food Babe lauded the companies: “There is a BIG revolution happening!” she wrote in an email to supporters on Tuesday. She called out Mars, Kellogg’s, General Mills and Campbells for deciding “to do what’s right.” “They've lost a lot of our trust and continuing to be on the wrong side of the GMO transparency debate is not good for business,” she added. “It took a long road to get here but the snowball effect is under way and we’ve got a major food movement happening in this country. ... I can’t wait to see who is next!"

TICK TOCK: Vermont’s law will take effect in just 99 days.

BANKERS SEEK MINOR FUNDING BOOST FOR FSA PROGRAMS: The American Bankers Association is making its case to appropriators for slightly more funds to be made available to the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in fiscal 2017. In letters sent to the agriculture panels of both the House and Senate Appropriations committees, James Ballentine, the trade group’s executive VP of congressional relations and political affairs, asks to boost the FSA’s Guaranteed Farm Operating Loan Program from the $1.395 billion it received in fiscal 2016 to $1.5 billion with the ability for the USDA to ask for an additional $1 billion. Ballentine said ABA “has a great deal of concern that this program may experience budget shortfalls due to lower commodity prices in the agricultural sector.” The House letter is here and the Senate letter is here.

HONEY PRODUCTION FALLS, AGAIN: U.S. honey production from the largest beekeeping operations was down 12 percent in 2015 from the year before, according to a new report from the Agriculture Department. The decline represents a 3 percent decrease in managed bee colonies and a 10 percent drop in the average yield per colony. The report is bad news for beekeepers and environmentalists who have long raised concerns that pollinator populations are dwindling to catastrophically low levels, a problem that has been attributed to a slew of reasons, including the use of certain pesticides. The report is here.

The USDA and EPA have recently come under fire for falling short in its efforts to better protect bees. However, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy on Tuesday told House appropriators at a budget hearing that the agencies are working to better collaborate on the issue and building pollinator concerns into their approvals of products and other actions. The science on pollinator risks “is getting better, and as the science gets better we are utilizing it in our decision making,” McCarthy said. A video of the hearing is here.

FRAZIER’S CEO ROLE AT NCBA NO LONGER INTERIM: Kendal Frazier has been the interim CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association since June 2015, but no longer. The organization, which is funded in part by the national beef checkoff program, announced Tuesday that Frazier has the role permanently. Frazier, who was raised on a diversified cattle and grain operation in Kansas and began his career as a farm radio broadcaster, has worked with NCBA since 1985 and held several leadership positions within the organization, according to a press release.

SCOULAR’S HECK TO CHAIR NGFA: The National Grain and Feed Association elected John Heck as its new chairman during its annual convention, the group announced Tuesday. Heck is a senior vice president at Scoular Co., an Omaha, Neb.-based grain company that does $6 billion in sales annually. He replaces Gary Beachner, president and CEO of Beachner Grain Inc. in Parsons, Kan. The group also elected Erik Wilkey, president of Arizona Grain Inc., as its new first vice chairman, and David Baudler, managing director of grain for Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain North America, as its second vice chairman. Read more here.

About The Author

Helena Bottemiller Evich is a senior food and agriculture reporter for POLITICO Pro.

Before joining POLITICO, Helena spent four years reporting on food politics and policy at Food Safety News, where she covered Congress, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Helena's work has also appeared in the Columbia Journalism Review and on NBC News. Her reporting has taken her to the Louisiana coast during the Gulf oil spill, Arizona lettuce fields, North Carolina hog farms and the occasional presidential turkey pardoning.

A native of Washington state and an alumna of Claremont McKenna College, she now lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband.